Monday, February 29, 2016

Happy March :: February 29, 2016

I have no idea where February went but I am grateful for all the miracles we saw. I want to share the story of one family in particular that has had a really big impact on me.

In my email last week, I shared a little bit about a someone named Alex. He was baptized this week.

Alex and his family live way out of the way in an area we hardly ever go to because it is by the river and there are no houses there. It is divine that we even found them. God found a way to help Alex and his family and I am grateful I was have been able to witness this and work with them. They call us their daughters and always make us feel at home, feeding us avocados and mangos and bananas from their trees.

First of all, his mother is amazing. All Guatemalan women are. I think about all the women in my life and I am grateful for all the strong influences I have, here and at home.

Alex's mom, Fidelia, gets up everyday at 5 to walk half a mile to the bus stop, takes a bus to the market, buys 50 pounds of corn, and takes the same journey home with the corn bucket on top of her head. There, she starts making her Mazza (corn flour) and has to cook it all morning. By noon, she takes it all from a giant pot and thickens it to make the actual flour to make tortillas. This takes 2 hours. Then, she spends all afternoon making tortillas. She makes 1,000 a day and leaves her house by 6 pm to sell them in the market.

She doesn't get home until about midnight and then she wakes up again the next morning to do it all again. Every single day with no break. Every time we visit, we ask her how her business was the day before and she always, whether she had a lot of buyers or just a few, she says "God has blessed me so much. Sometimes He gives a lot and sometimes a little, but He knows what we need." Her tortillas are the family´s only source of income and she cannot take a break because her family depends on her.

The day of Alex´s baptism, she got up 2 hours earlier to start her corn so that she could make time to go to Alex´s baptism. She said that they had prayed and prayed for help for their son, Alex becuase he was "in the streets" and was not making good choices. She and her husband, Elias, say that we are an answer to their prayers.

So, the day of Alex's baptism on Saturday, Elias and Fidelia and Alex's little sister, Elsa came to the baptism. They made sacrifices to be able to go and it was incredible to see how happy they all were there together. We are teaching his family too and we have the faith that they will be baptized as well.

I don't think we can fully comprehend the changes that have come about in Alex because we did not see him all day everyday, but his parents say he is absolutely, completely different. The Savior´s atonement changes all for us. Alex is preparing to serve a mission in a year.

Oh, and Guatemalans do not smile in pictures. But, look at Alex and his family! So happy and smiling! I love the photo of him and his family!!

God works in mysterious and beautiful ways. I am so grateful to be part of His beautiful work here in Las Flores. I know my Savior lives and I love Him with all my heart.